For the evil man has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished.
Parallel translations
- WEB for there will be no reward to the evil man; and the lamp of the wicked shall be snuffed out.
- KJV For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out.
- NKJV For there will be no prospect for the evil man; The lamp of the wicked will be put out.
- NASB For there will be no future for the evil person; The lamp of the wicked will be put out.
- NLT For evil people have no future; the light of the wicked will be snuffed out.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The wicked have no future, and their light will be snuffed out.
Overview
This grounds the previous verse: the evil have no lasting reward, and their "lamp," their life and hope, will be extinguished. Their apparent prosperity is temporary and doomed. In contrast, the righteous have an enduring hope and light, ultimately found in Christ, the light of life that never fails (John 8:12).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Prov 13:9The light of the righteous shines brightly, but the lamp of the wicked is extinguished.
- Job 18:5–6Indeed, the lamp of the wicked is extinguished; the flame of his fire does not glow.
- Prov 20:20Whoever curses his father or mother, his lamp will be extinguished in deepest darkness.
- Ps 11:6On the wicked He will rain down fiery coals and sulfur; a scorching wind will be their portion.
- Job 21:17How often is the lamp of the wicked put out? Does disaster come upon them? Does God, in His anger, apportion destruction?
- Matt 25:8The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
- Matt 8:12But the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
- Jude 1:13They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.
- Prov 23:18For surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.
- Isa 3:11Woe to the wicked; disaster is upon them! For they will be repaid with what their hands have done.
- Ps 9:17The wicked will return to Sheol—all the nations who forget God.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Wisdom personified, with God before creation and the agent of all things, anticipates Christ 'in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom' — the wisdom of God made flesh.
How Proverbs 24:20 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.